STUDIES IN SPORT, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH 269 Anna Kavoura “Successful and feminine athlete” DQG´QDWXUDOERUQÀJKWHUµ A discursive exploration of female judoka’s identities in Greece and Finland STUDIES IN SPORT, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH 269 Anna Kavoura “Successful and feminine athlete” and “natural-born fighter” A discursive exploration of female judoka’s identities in Greece and Finland Esitetään Jyväskylän yliopiston liikuntatieteellisen tiedekunnan suostumuksella julkisesti tarkastettavaksi yliopiston vanhassa juhlasalissa S212 toukokuun 12. päivänä 2018 kello 12. Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by permission of the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä, in building Seminarium, auditorium S212, on May 12, 2018 at 12 o’clock noon. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ JYVÄSKYLÄ 2018 “Successful and feminine athlete” and “natural-born fighter” A discursive exploration of female judoka’s identities in Greece and Finland STUDIES IN SPORT, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH 269 Anna Kavoura “Successful and feminine athlete” and “natural-born fighter” A discursive exploration of female judoka’s identities in Greece and Finland UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ JYVÄSKYLÄ 2018 Editors Jarmo Liukkonen Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä Pekka Olsbo, Ville Korkiakangas Publishing Unit, University Library of Jyväskylä Cover picture: Jouni Kallio. Picture reprinted with permission from Judomimmit Jigotai. Permanent link to this publication: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-7422-0 URN:ISBN:978-951-39-7422-0 ISBN 978-951-39-7422-0 (PDF) ISBN 978-951-39-7421-3 (nid.) ISSN 0356-1070 Copyright © 2018, by University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä University Printing House, Jyväskylä 2018 ABSTRACT Kavoura, Anna “Successful and feminine athlete” and “natural-born fighter”: A discursive exploration of female judoka’s identities in Greece and Finland Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2018, 71 p. (Studies in Sport, Physical Education and Health ISSN 0356-1070; 269) ISBN 978-951-39-7421-3 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-7422-0 (PDF) Despite feminist concerns about the asymmetrical distribution of power in martial arts and combat sports (MACS), sport psychology research has overlooked issues of inequality and socio-cultural difference, as well as their effects on athletes’ experiences and identity negotiation. The present doctoral dissertation explores the intersection of gender, culture, and identity in judo through the lens of cultural praxis and feminist poststructuralist frameworks. The aim was to explore in what ways the cultural context shapes the experiences and identities of female judoka (judo athletes). Two specific objectives were set: to trace the discourses (systems of knowledge) through which female judoka articulate and make sense of their experiences, and to develop a theoretically informed analytical understanding of how they construct their identities through the negotiation of sociocultural beliefs and gender stereotypes. An ethnographic approach was employed, and data were gathered during fieldwork in Greece and Finland. In conjunction with participant-observation, semi-structured interviews with 10 female judoka ages 17-40 were conducted in Greece, and nine semi-structured interviews with female judoka ages 20-49 were conducted in Finland. A discursive analytic procedure revealed several discourses as relevant to the ways that female judoka make sense of themselves and their experiences, namely, a female biological inferiority discourse, discourses of ideal femininity, a patri- archal discourse of gender roles, a discourse of gender equality, and discourses of athlet- ic performance and elite and mass sport. In this dissertation, I discuss the different and similar ways in which Greek and Finnish athletes are subjected to these discourses. In relation to the subject positions offered to them within these dis- courses, female judoka strategically construct multiple (and often conflicting) identities, each serving different purposes. I de-construct the successful and femi- nine athlete and the natural-born fighter to show how the repetition of certain identities assists in the reproduction of gender hierarchies and inequalities. I conclude that there is a need for discursive interventions to move toward gen- der equity in MACS. Keywords: cultural praxis, cultural sport psychology, ethnography, feminist poststructuralist theory, gender, martial arts and combat sports, women Author’s address Anna Kavoura Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences University of Jyväskylä P.O. Box 35 (L) FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland [email protected] Supervisors Docent Tatiana V. Ryba, PhD Department of Psychology University of Jyväskylä, Finland Senior Lecturer Marja Kokkonen, PhD Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences University of Jyväskylä, Finland Professor Stiliani “Ani” Chroni, PhD Department of Sports and Physical Education Inland Norway University of Applied Science, Norway Reviewers Associate Professor Holly Thorpe, PhD Faculty of Health, Sport and Human Performance University of Waikato, New Zealand Professor Ted M. Butryn, PhD Department of Kinesiology San Jose State University, USA Opponent Docent Tuula Juvonen, PhD Faculty of Humanities University of Turku, Finland ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation (and my identity as a scholar) has been shaped by a number of encounters, experiences, and discourses. During the time this research was be- ing carried out, I was moving between countries, working in different research environments, and training in several martial arts clubs. While it is impossible to provide a complete list of all those who influenced, inspired, or supported me along the way, a few names warrant special mention. First and foremost, I would like to thank my three supervisors, Drs. Tatia- na Ryba, Marja Kokkonen, and Stiliani “Ani” Chroni. Tatiana, you have taught me more than I could ever give you credit for. Thank you for introducing me to fascinating theories and concepts. Thank you for giving me the language and tools that allowed me to turn my agonies into research and action. And thank you for sticking with me and for pushing me to become a better scholar. This research, and the way I make sense of the world, would not be the same with- out you. Marja, thank you for your continuous support and encouragement. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to develop myself further as a scholar by working with you in other research projects. Thank you for believing in me and for being always there, to share joys, or to catch my tears. Thank you for being a great companion on numerous trips and adventures. Most importantly, thank you for your friendship; it means more to me than I can say. Ani, in spite of the geographical distance separating us, your input and support have been irreplaceable. Being able to discuss my work and get advice from someone who has fought against the same cultural “ghosts” has been important to me. I have always been inspired by your courage and energy in these battles. Thank you for providing valuable feedback when I needed it the most and for guiding me through my very first analysis of interview data. I extend my warmest thanks to Professor Ted Butryn and Associate Pro- fessor Holly Thorpe for reviewing and commenting on this dissertation. It was an honor to have you read my work. Thanks also to Drs. Eija Laakkonen, Päivi Berg, Alex Channon, Noora Ronkainen, Olli Tikkanen, Sae-Mi Lee, Mariana Siljamäki, and to Matti Hakamäki for fruitful exchange of ideas, for comment- ing on parts of my work, and/or for working with me in other projects and publications. I also wish to thank Professor Jarmo Liukkonen, Esa Nykänen, Michael Freeman, Cai Weaver, and all the others who worked in proofreading and editing my work. Special thanks to Jouni Kallio for the cover image, captur- ing Eija and Sini, and to Judomimmit Jigotai for giving permission to use it. The summary of this dissertation was translated into Finnish by Drs. Marja Kokko- nen and Anna-Liisa Ojala and I owe them a depth of gratitude for that. Many thanks also to Dr. Maiju Srömmer for commenting on an early version of the- summary. I am grateful to Professor Katia Rubio and her students for the 1,5 months that I spent in the University of São Paulo, as well as to Aarhus University Re- search Foundation for funding my six months research visit to the Department of Public Health in Aarhus. Funding for this study has also been received from Urheiluopistosäätiö and from the University of Jyväskylä, and I wish to express my gratitude to these organizations. I am also grateful to LIKES Research Cen- tre for Physical Activity and Health for providing a working space for me dur- ing the first months of 2018. In addition, I wish to acknowledge that I have greatly benefited by discussing my work in the seminars and events organized by the Martial Arts Studies Research Network directed by Professor Paul Bow- man, and the Jyväskylä Discourse Hub directed by Professor Sari Pietikäinen. My sincere and deepest gratitude goes to the judoka who participated in the study, and to the coaches in Finland and Greece who facilitated the data collection. This study would not have been possible without you. Thank you for trusting me with your stories, and for the time we spent together on the mats. Thank you for training with me and teaching me. I would like to express my love and gratitude to all my friends, on and off the mats, for helping me to remain sane and hopeful, and especially to Elina, Heli, Hanna and Venla for making Jyväskylä feel like home, and for inspiring me with their continuous efforts to promote women’s positioning in martial arts. To my partner Dionysis for his love, for filling my life with music, for cooking all those amazing meals, and for enduring the cold and my “lectures”. To my sisters, Dora and Nicki, for putting up with the grumpiest versions of myself. Finally, I can never adequately thank my tireless and loving mother, Athena Glaros, who provided unfailing emotional and material support, taught me what it is important to fight for in this life, and brought me up to become a hunter of knowledge and dreams.